Leverkusen - On 24 January 1861, Japan and what was then Prussia signed a friendship and trade agreement in Edo which led to relationships with all of Germany a few years later. Edo is called Tokyo today and the friendship between the two countries has lasted. In fact, it has developed so well that the 150-year anniversary in 2011 is a good reason to celebrate. The roots of LANXESS also reach back into the “Land of the Rising Sun”. “The connections between LANXESS and Japan go back at least 85 years,” says Peter Weinmar, CEO of LANXESS in Japan. “That is how long we have been bringing German innovations and solutions into the country as a global specialty chemicals group.”

Partly because of that, the group is participating in the celebrations that will last all year, supporting numerous events as part of its global corporate responsibility activities. Already known as the exclusive sponsor of young.euro.classic orchestras, which are distinctive in bringing together musicians from at least two different countries, LANXESS brought this cultural event to the public with two concerts in Japan. And so the talented up-and-coming musicians of the ensemble under the guidance of Maestro Gerd Albrecht opened the German Festival in Tokyo on 23 October. Christian Wulff, President of the Federal Republic of Germany and joint patron of the Germany-Japan year alongside the Japanese Crown Prince Naruhito, also issued invitations on 25 October in the crisis region of Fukushima to a solidarity concert for the evacuees of the catastrophe of 11 March – solidarity that was underscored by LANXESS with its own fundraising campaigns since the disaster.

Intercultural involvement

In addition to the young.euro.classic tour and support for the Singapore National Youth Orchestra, LANXESS is continuing its intercultural involvement in Japan. The company is sponsoring the “Youth Opera for Young People” at the Saito Kinen Festival, held in the Japanese Alps each summer, for at least two years. Next to numerous Japanese students, children of LANXESS employees and Germans living in Tokyo and Yokohama are also found in the audience by company invitation.

On 21 November 2011, LANXESS will prove that the connection does not end with the closing concerts. After the company began celebrating the 100th anniversary of synthetic rubber in 2009 with a colloquium on the topic and a worldwide series of “Rubber Days”, this series will also be continued with an event in Tokyo this year. Industry and economic experts are dedicating themselves to the motto of “Innovation for Greener Mobility” and, after a 150-year friendship, a shared future as well.